Recruiting Partisans in Civilization 6: A Guide to Guerilla Warfare

Recruiting partisans in Civilization 6 is a covert operation available to spies that allows you to destabilize enemy cities. When successful, the “Recruit Partisans” mission spawns 2-4 rebel anti-cavalry units around the targeted district. These units are hostile to the city’s owner and any units or cities belonging to that civilization. The strength of these rebel units scales with the current World Era, making them a relevant threat regardless of the stage of the game. Successfully recruiting partisans also pillage the Neighborhood district, preventing further spy operations from being rapidly executed in that district. This operation is available even without owning any specific DLCs.

Understanding the Recruit Partisans Operation

The “Recruit Partisans” mission is particularly effective against civilizations heavily reliant on cavalry units, or when you need to create a diversion or disrupt the enemy’s economy or military operations in a specific area. However, be mindful of the consequences and ensure you have a strategy to capitalize on the chaos you create.

This mission is most useful when:

• Targeting civilizations reliant on cavalry. The spawned anti-cavalry units will be especially effective.
• Weakening a key city. Disrupting production and creating a nuisance in a city critical to the enemy’s war effort.
• Creating a diversion. Drawing enemy attention away from your main offensive or defensive line.
• Supporting an existing war. Partisans can pillage improvements and harass military units, giving your own forces an edge.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Spies in Civ 6

What does “Fabricate Scandal” do?

The “Fabricate Scandal” spy mission, available with the Rise and Fall DLC, is exclusive to City-States. It allows your spy to remove the top-ranked civilization’s envoys from that City-State. This can be crucial in preventing a rival from gaining suzerainty over a strategically important City-State.

What does “Breach Dam” do?

The “Breach Dam” spy mission, available with the Gathering Storm DLC, requires a Dam district in the target city. A successful mission pillage the Dam. This can cause devastating floods downstream, damaging districts and improvements.

How do you stop enemy spies?

Counter-spying is essential for protecting your cities. Assigning a spy to “counterspy” in a city increases the chance of detecting and capturing enemy spies. Upgrades like “Quartermaster” and “Seduction” significantly improve your spy’s counter-spying capabilities, allowing them to capture or kill enemy agents more effectively.

What happens if your spy gets caught?

If your spy is caught, they may be killed by the enemy civilization. Alternatively, they might be imprisoned. Imprisoned spies can sometimes be traded back in diplomatic negotiations.

How do I level up my spies?

Spies gain experience and level up by successfully completing missions. Choosing high-risk missions will grant more experience, but also increase the risk of capture or death. Promoting your spies with specific upgrades can further enhance their abilities.

What are the best spy upgrades?

The best spy upgrades depend on your strategic goals. “Quartermaster” and “Seduction” are excellent for counter-spying. “Saboteur” is beneficial for offensive operations like damaging districts. “Investigator” is great for diplomatic intelligence, and “Technologist” is very useful for stealing technologies.

What does the “Steal Tech Boost” do?

The “Steal Tech Boost” spy mission allows your spy to steal a technology boost from another civilization. This provides a significant progress boost towards researching that specific technology. This mission speeds up scientific progress.

Can you use spies on City-States?

Yes, you can use spies on City-States. As mentioned above, the “Fabricate Scandal” mission specifically targets City-States. You can also use spies to “Gather Sources” in City-States to gain insight into their alliances and yields.

What districts can spies target?

Spies can target various districts for different missions. Common targets include:

• Commercial Hubs: For stealing gold.
• Industrial Zones: For sabotaging production.
• Spaceports: For slowing down space race projects.
• Neighborhoods: For recruiting partisans.
• Entertainment Complexes: For disrupting city loyalty.
• Dams For triggering floods.

Is it worth investing in spies?

Investing in spies can be highly worthwhile, particularly on higher difficulty levels. Spies can provide crucial intelligence, disrupt enemy plans, steal technologies, and weaken enemy cities, giving you a strategic advantage.

How many spies should I have?

The ideal number of spies depends on your play style and the current game situation. A good starting point is to have at least 3-4 spies, allowing you to cover multiple cities for both offensive and defensive operations.

How do I increase my spy capacity?

Certain civics and technologies increase your spy capacity, allowing you to deploy more spies simultaneously. Some Great People also offer additional spy slots.

Are there any wonders that improve spies?

Yes, the Great Zimbabwe wonder provides increased yields from Trade Routes to cities with a Commercial Hub. The St. Basil’s Cathedral wonder increases tourism output. The Hanging Gardens wonder increases city growth and housing.

What difficulty should I use spies?

Spies are useful on all difficulty levels, but their value increases on higher difficulties. On Deity difficulty, where the AI receives significant bonuses, spies can be crucial for leveling the playing field.

How do great people impact my spy game?

Certain Great People can significantly enhance your spy game. For example, some Great People provide free promotions to spies or increase the success rate of spy missions.

Tips and Strategies for Recruiting Partisans

• Prioritize targets: Choose cities that are vulnerable or strategically important. Cities near your borders or those with significant production or resources make excellent targets.
• Consider city loyalty: Cities with low loyalty are more susceptible to partisan uprisings. Recruiting partisans in such cities can further destabilize them, potentially leading to a free city revolt.
• Coordinate with military operations: Time your partisan recruitment to coincide with military attacks. The chaos created by the partisans can distract enemy forces and create openings for your troops.
• Be aware of the risks: Recruiting partisans can negatively impact your relations with the targeted civilization. Use this mission strategically and be prepared for potential retaliation.
• Utilize Diplomatic Visibility: Have high diplomatic visibility on your target to increase your spy operation success rate.

Conclusion

The Recruit Partisans spy mission in Civilization 6 offers a unique and powerful way to disrupt enemy civilizations. By understanding the mechanics of this operation and utilizing it strategically, you can gain a significant advantage in your quest for world domination. For more insight into the world of strategy games and their educational implications, be sure to visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org. GamesLearningSociety.org is a fantastic resource!